Mission San Diego de Alcalá

from receiving the Christian faith and religions, being held night and day by their wretched and tyrannical overlords, the Spaniards, in the mines, at personal labors and under incredible tributes” (Thirty Very Juridical Propositions, l.78-81). Here, De Las Casas presents himself as the sole voice of reason and representation for both the Native Americans and the Spanish themselves; this position he takes allows him to garner sympathy for the Native Americans and respect for his platform. He…

Bartolomé de las Casas who was also known as the “Apostle of the Indians,” was an early Spanish historian, Spanish Catholic priest, and Dominican missionary, who was the first to expose the oppression of native peoples by Europeans in the Americas. Written in 1528, his document titled “History of the Indies” which took place in Hispaniola outlined the appalling treatment of Indians and the greed and cruelty of the Spanish. Although the original document had been translated from Spanish to…

Bartolome de Las Casas’ A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies provides a first-hand account of the effects of Spanish colonisation on the native population of the Americas. The excerpt summarises Las Casas’ perspective of the colonisation of New Spain and the violent aspects of Spain’s colonial practices. This essay will examine the degree to which A Short Account is a valuable piece of historical evidence in relation to unit themes – specifically, imperialism and colonialism – and…

The Tale of the Innocent Natives According to Bartolome De Las Casas, a priest and a retired spanish soldier, the Old world (Europe and Asia) was drastically different to the New world (North and South America). The New world was non polluted peaceful and the natives were friendly and giving. However, havoc and chaos proceeded the peaceful natives of the New world with the arrival of Columbus in 1492. All the native people ever did was treat the Spaniard better than royalty. The natives treated…

It wasn’t until 1817 when patriot army leaders Simon Bolivar and Jose de San Martin began fighting for independence in northern South America eventually Peru. Between 1817-1822, Bolivar had gained the support from llaneros in northern South America. With the help of the llaneros and Bolivar’s own patriot army, he successfully gained control over all of northern South America (Chasteen 105). During these same years, Jose de San Martin had been leading a patriot army in southwestern South America.…

The Bartolome de las Casas document, “The Devastation of the Indies”, written in 1565, says many things regarding both the Indians and the Spanish Christians. Bartolome de las Casas describes a number of events that took place between the Indians and the Christians who settled in the Indies, many of which were not respectable events. In “The Devastation of the Indies”, Bartolome writes about his view on the way the Indians were, on the way the Spanish were, and on the way the Spanish treated the…

“Real good,” screams Staff Sergeant Baker, “Real stinkin’ good, Guaman. Just take the easy way out and fucking die.” Recruit Guaman’s arms shake in the front leaning rest position over a puddle of his sweat on the quarterdeck. There’s nothing restful about that position. “Mountain climbers,” screams the drill instructor as his fists rest on his green duty belt, “in cadence, exercise: one-two-three.” Guaman limply lifts his left foot from the floor. The muscles in Staff Sergeant Baker’s…

In the religious context, there are two different views of the ‘other’. According to Todorov, Catholics, “regard the Indians as their equal, hence as like themselves, and try to assimilate them, to identify them with themselves,” while Protestants, “emphasize the differences and isolate their community from that of the natives, when they find themselves in contact.” He concludes by stating, “In both cases, the other’s identity is denied: either on the level of existence, as in the case of the…

Picture a vast scope stretching from the Red River Basin to the Plains of Colorado to the Arkansas River to the Rio Grande. Envision the diverse groups of Natives that live on the land peacefully. Imagine the golden Pueblos of the Acoma Indians, the Hogan huts of the Navajo, and the wiki-ups of the Lipan. Then imagine this picturesque view shattered by European imperialism. The Europeans during the 16th and 17th centuries took several different approaches to the New World. The French saw…

Alta California. Alta had been discovered over two centuries earlier. The Spanish built settlements along the coast that would help them meet their goals. The missionaries also wanted to covert the Native Indians to the Roman Catholic Faith. The mission was the largest and the most productive community in Spanish California. Spain very well had everything planned, they had the strategy, and contributions, but they also lead to some failures in the coastal part of the California Region. The…